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Henry County is seeking to rehabilitate houses on Old Bassett Heights Road in Bassett. In July 2023, Henry County applied for and was then awarded a $50,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the state of Virginia. That planning money was used to hire Summit Designs, who conducted a housing study for Henry County.
The study detailed varying degrees of housing conditions all throughout the county on a grading system of 1-5 with 5 being the most dilapidated. Though there were areas in the county with greater degrees of severity, but with higher vacancies. Old Bassett Heights Road was chosen due to the high ownership and rental rates of the properties, meaning that occupants could be living in unsafe conditions.
"It's not that your street was chosen because you have the worst houses in Henry County ...
Please don't think that," Henry County Grant Administrator Cindy Adams said. "There are streets that are probably in worse condition, but they're high rentals." People are also reading.
.. "What the state wants you to do is they want you to live and own your home and they want it to be safe," Adams added.
A previous project similar to this took place on Highland Street in Bassett around 10 years ago where around $700,000 was put into rehabilitating houses. "All this makes a difference when we're trying to recruit new people to our town," Adams said. Old Bassett Heights Road contained, at the time of the study, a total of 28 parcels with a 78.
6% owner rate, 21.4% renter rate and a 0% vacancy rate. The properties were 14% dilapidated, 11% intermediate, 29% sound and 46% minor issues in condition.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts The county plans to apply for the grant funding as soon as the window opens, Adams said, which should be any day now. The funding will come through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). DHCD partners with federal, local and state nonprofit housing, community development and economic development initiatives to maintain the vibrancy of communities throughout the state.
If the home needs over $125,000 in repairs, then the house will be demolished and rebuilt. "I think the biggest question we get is ..
. 'What's the catch?'" Adams said. In the past, grants like this one have required the homeowner to reimburse some amount of money based on income and what repairs were done, Adams said.
However, now there will only be a lien placed on the property for a number of years that will be determined based on the amount of money put into the property. "There's nothing that you pay as long as you meet those income requirements," she said. Income will be confirmed in the application process with the county to ensure each individual owner meets the qualifications.
The loan amount is then forgiven in equal portions throughout the term of the loan. Owners must stay in the property or continue to rent the property at the same price for the duration of the loan. If property owners have already been approved, a rehabilitation specialist will then evaluate the needs of the home.
The information will then be compiled to use as leverage for grant approval when the grant window opens. Once that window opens, the county will apply for the grant and if awarded funding the project will be put in motion. If any residents on the street have not signed up, they can complete an application by contacting Adams at cfadams@co.
henry.va.us or 276-634-4623.
Vacant units do not qualify for this grant funding. A second public hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m.
April 28 at the Henry County Administration Building in the Summerlin Board Room. Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
